Abstract
PROF. OESTERREICH'S book is intended to be a popular presentation to the German public of the evidences of “occult” phenomena, which are fairly well known to English-speaking people. He points out that this field of knowledge has been little cultivated in Germany, and, with great impartiality, places such facts as aave been observed before his readers. He examines the cases of Helene Smith, Mrs. Piper, Palladino, and Eva C. in detail, and arranges his phenomena under the heads of states of impersonation, psychometry, cross-correspondence, telekinesis, and materialisation. His conclusions are adverse to spiritism; but, on the evidence, he seems to have no doubt of the occurrence of the phenomena in question, though there is no indication in the book of any first-hand acquaintance with the subject. Indeed, there is a lack of judicial balance in the admission of the evidence. Crawford- though the facts were clearly not known to Oesterreich when this work was written-is cited as an authority for telekinesis and materialisation. The introduction is remarkably good, as is the general plea for scientific examination without prejudice of the facts; but the chapter on theosophy has little connexion with the rest of the book, and rather marrs it by the personal note with regard to Rudolf Steiner which it introduces.
Occultism and Modern Science.
Prof.
T. Konstantin
Oesterreich
By. Translated from the second German edition. Pp. vii + 181. (London: Metlmen and Co., Ltd., 1923.) 6s. net.
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Occultism and Modern Science. Nature 111, 840 (1923). https://doi.org/10.1038/111840a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/111840a0